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Egg in a Hole Sandwich with Bacon and Cheddar

You know that sandwich that is a piece of bread with a large hole cut into it into which an egg is broken and then cooked in a fry pan?

I’d let you know the name for that sandwich instead of giving you the long-winded description above, but there are so many names for this one kind of sandwich and it would be confusing (maybe more confusing than my description, if that is possible).

Among the names I’ve heard used are:

Egg in a Hole
Egg in the Basket
Egg in a Hat
Gashouse Egg
Birdie in a Basket
A Hole in One

I’m calling this an egg in a hole sandwich, but no matter what you call this delicious concoction, you should make and eat one soon. This is an extra-tasty version with bacon and cheese and a bagel playing the part of bread.

Start by cooking some bacon.

Double-smoked bacon.

While the bacon is cooking, cut a hole in the bagel.

Bagel with an extra large hole.

There’s still time, so slice some old cheddar very thinly.

Thinly sliced old cheddar cheese.

Take the cooked bacon out, wipe almost all of the grease out of the fry pan and get the buttered bagel halves into the pan.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, turning halfway through, until browned and crisp, 8–10 minutes.

Meanwhile, use cutter to punch out a circle in the center of each piece of bread (save for snacking, now or later).

Transfer bacon to a cutting board; cut in half crosswise. Carefully pour half of bacon drippings into a small bowl. Place 2 slices of bread in skillet and cook over medium-high until bottom sides are golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Crack an egg into each hole in bread (some of the white may pool on top of the bread). Season eggs with salt and pepper and cook until underside is set, about 2 minutes. Using a thin spatula (a fish spatula works best), carefully turn both pieces of bread to briefly cook second side (this helps set the whites, but the yolk should still be runny), about 1 minute. Add 1 Tbsp. butter to skillet and swirl skillet to distribute, encouraging some to get underneath. Carefully turn bread again. Top one slice with half of the cheese. Remove pan from heat and let sit about 1 minute to soften cheese. Top with half of bacon and some hot sauce. Close up sandwich and transfer to a plate. Repeat process with remaining bacon drippings, bread, eggs, butter, bacon, and cheese and more hot sauce to make another sandwich.